First, environmental problems are people problems. To promote environmental stewardship we must understand how we think, what we care about, what motivates us, and the conditions under which we behave more reasonably.

Second, our behavior closely interacts with the environments we find ourselves in. To understand why we act as we do, it is useful to understand the demands environments place upon, and the opportunities they afford, human cognition.

The course explores a model of human nature which includes:

How people come to know and understand environments

Which types of environments humans prefer

How humans cope with non-preferred environments

The role that mental fatigue and restoration have in everyday
functioning

The course:

Presents evidence of the strong connection between human health/well-being and the environment

Explores strategies for better managing our time and choosing settings
in which we function more effectively

Students taking the course often have no previous experience in the psychology of human-environment interaction. The course is useful to any field of study dealing with human behavior (e.g., environmental studies; education and communication; health education and behavior; conservation psychology; resource policy, planning, and management; organizational and institutional studies; landscape architecture and urban planning; green and sustainable business)

Syllabi are available to current LSA students. IMPORTANT: These syllabi are provided to give students a general idea about the courses, as offered by LSA departments and programs in prior academic terms. The syllabi do not necessarily reflect the assignments, sequence of course materials, and/or course expectations that the faculty and departments/programs have for these same courses in the current and/or future terms.

No Syllabi are on file for PSYCH 384. Click the button below to search for a different syllabus (UM login required)